State Rep David Nangle charged with corruption

From MASSTERList

 

The big news on Beacon Hill yesterday was actually huge news: The arrest of state Rep. David Nangle, a top House leader and a member of the Ethics Committee, on a long, long list of corruption charges that add up to a “systemic pattern of theft and fraud,” as U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s office announced. CommonWealth magazine’s Sarah Betancourt and SHNS’s Katie Lannan (pay wall) have more on the charges, allegedly and ultimately tied to the Lowell Democrat’s “extensive gambling” debts.

Here’s a sampling of some of the headlines: “Nangle spent over $111K in campaign funds at three restaurants to conceal debts he owed them” (MassLive) and “Cash withdrawals, casino trips and golf club memberships” (also MassLive). From the Lowell Sun: “Nangle arrives in federal courtroom in handcuffs and shackles, pleads not-guilty.” Meanwhile, from CommonWealth’s Shira Schoenberg: “DeLeo calls Nangle allegations ‘serious and troubling.’”

Needless to say, the Herald’s Howie Carr is having a field day. And the Globe’s editorial board argues “it shouldn’t always take the Feds to fight corruption at the state level."

The Globe did a great piece on Nangle as well. Basically, he is charged with two dozen charges of alleged fraud dating back to 2014.  From what I can read, Nangle has a gambling habit and used campaign money (70K) to fund his addiction as well as bilking 300,000 in loan money he wasn't qualified to recieve. And of coarse cheated the IRS out of their money. He is also one of Bob DeLeo's floor bosses and is also on the Ethics Committee.

One point that everyone should get from this is, it's the Feds who are prosecuting Nangle, not our own AG Maura Healey, the Globe's lead editorial today makes this point clear.